Golf Season

So, I felt somewhat bad this weekend because I held Mandy back from a weekend of college fun in Bloomington for IU's Little 500. We were supposed to go down with friends and enjoy the festivities, but I wanted to have one weekend at home in the month of April (I'm gone the next two). In hindsight, we actually got a lot done and had a great chance to catch up on some rest and quality time with the dog. But, I'll admit it after the fact, I really wanted to stay home for golf, in all its forms.

I was supposed to play on Saturday, but sleet, wind and sub-40 temperatures quickly ended those hopes. So, what was left? Quite simply the best sporting event on television: The Masters! I'll admit that I am not a huge fan of how snobby and in-awe the announcing has become. I mean, seriously, it's a little over the top when somebody misses a 4-foot putt and the announcer says, "That was an easy putt, but nothing is easy when it's Augusta, it's the Masters and your standing on the royal ground of legends playing tricks on you." That's a little over the top.

But, nothing they can say will ever take you away from admiring the grounds. It is heaven shaped into a golf course. Not a blade of grass out of place and a perfectly sculpted landscape of elevation, bunkers, natural waterways and foliage. Every year, I am reminded that my one major golf goal is to play there:

Well, maybe someday...

I had a good conversation with my friend, former boss and golf coach (can you count somebody as your coach when you haven't had a lesson in almost 4 years, but haven't consulted somebody else?), Alan, last night and we were talking about how boring the golf was yesterday afternoon. There have been years when the course actually played tougher, but it seemed more enjoyable to watch. But, no matter how bad the drama was, you can't turn away.

I was also blown away by the number of comments on TV from people talking about how much experience plays into being successful on that course. C'mon, any true golf fan could play that course blindfolded. I'm not saying they could execute the shots needed, but I know almost every little slope and angle of that course just from the countless hours of TV coverage I've watched.

- Keep it middle of the green and let it feed down on #16
- Drive it down the right side and avoid the false front on #15 if you go for it in two
- Play a going draw on #2 and don't miss long or left on the green
etc. etc. etc.

Well, the weather should improve enough this week to get out and enjoy the weather for at least one round. And in the meantime, I'd like to thank my way cool Father-in-law for This Addictive Mini-Golf Game to keep me motivated while indoors.

Finding a little balance

Today, despite the cold, wet outdoors, I got a fresh breath of air.

What seemed to be the longest week ended last night at around 11pm when I finally read the last email clogging my inbox, and shut the face of my laptop.

Instead of working late at the office (again), I came home to two smiling faces, took a jog down the Monon with Will and Grace, ordered pizza and cuddled on the couch in my sweats-- reading my email. This may seem normal to all of you, but for us it’s a little departure from normal.

Until now, we have had a rule not to bring our work home—we never even had internet! Until last night. That’s right, Will and I decided (after much discussion) that we would flip our wireless switch to help mitigate some of my work load.

Simple as it seems, it felt like I had just achieved the greatest work/life balance ever! Did I really plow through 100+ emails and still eat and chat with my hubby while Gracie napped at my feet? Is it too good to be true? Can we really work and play at the same time? This concept seems so strange to me!

I have always felt sad for the people that have to bring their work home (now me), and the people who spend their happy weekend family time churning out projects for Monday’s presentation (also now me). But it seems that the better we get at our work, the harder it is to balance it with the rest of our life. Could it be true that the better we do at work, the worse we do at home? I suppose it could be. But not for me.

This is where my “fresh breath of air” comes in…. I believe that the reason I have been able to have a job and add any value to it is because I have the blessing of a successful home.

This morning for example, Will knew just what kind of day I needed—waffles for breakfast, a chilly hour at the dog park, nap, errands where we stop for coffee and get the luxury of taking our time and looking at the fish in the pet store if we want, farmers market (in the rain) b/c you can get a pound of carrots for 79 cents, home to build a fire and watch the Masters while the rain pours outside….

I will never stop working hard at home to have days like these. The rest, I’m confident, will fall in line. The wireless will help too. :)

Where did I put my big-girl panties?

Some days it seems like everything is happening so fast! The minutes just dart by me, and before I know it, we are into the next day, the weekend, the next month, and poof!-- a new year!
I find myself thinking a lot about time-- how I spend it, how I can save some, where I can find more, if I'm on it, if I'm out of it, if there's ever enough.... Most often, I ask myself how I’m using it. Am I loving people enough today? Am I showing them I care? Am I being honest? Giving? Am I living richly towards God and the things that are most important?

Today, I woke up and found the day I’ve been anticipating for 9 months (no, it’s not what you think)—my supervisor is giving birth to a baby girl as I type, and I’m left to hold down a monster account and two more to boot all my by little self. Yikes!
We’ve spent months planning, downloading, and prepping. Now, this is it! And for the first time, I want the next three months to fly by. (sigh) Life has a funny way of letting you stand in the nice comfortable shadow for a little while, and then one day kicking you into the arena. A little voice is saying, You're ready! Your time to shine! Another is telling me to run for the hills.

Time to take a big girl step into my big girl panties, and grab the bull by the horns. Wish me luck.

Back in Indy and ready to paaaaarrrrty

(Will here)

Well, it had been a whole two weeks since my last business trip (Yes, going to Cabo was a business trip), so it was time for me to get up and go last weekend. I had a quick little trip to Texas. Into Houston on Friday afternoon, up to Dallas on Saturday and back home on Sunday. It was a blur of highways, cattle farms, fruit and cheese plates and somewhat inebriated men reliving their fraternity experiences through casual conversation.

I will say this for Texas, however. That whole "it's big" thing is certainly true. Lots of land and lots of people. Houston was one of those cities where you can be stuck in traffic on a 10-lane highway for an hour and never see evidence of the city. No high rises, skyline, nothing. It was amazing. Who knew that many people lived down there.

And then there is the space of the state. At 80 mph, it took 4+ hours to get from Houston to Dallas. That's like driving from Indy to Milwaukee and stopping at the oasis just north of Chicago for 30 minutes. Geesh. The state is so big, even the statues are large. Check out this monster of Sam Houston. Look at the size of those trees in the background. You could see this guy from a mile away on the highway. It looked like a giant rolling pin stuck in the ground until you got close to it.

But, I am back and don't hit the road for another 5 weeks for work, which means it's time to hang out. Can't wait for Timbo to visit and then I'll return the favor next week. Mandy and I have the half marathon in Nashville coming up in two weeks! I think we're ready for it, but Grace is certainly not a 13.1 mile type of dog. She came on our 8-mile run on Sunday and almost didn't make it. I can still hear her panting right now.

By the way, for those of you who run, or bike, or do anything outside and you need to check the distance, this is the coolest site. Awesome Map Path. It's like Google maps, only you can click to start and stop a route and see how far you go, and it includes little markers to show the 1-mile intervals. So, if you have a little route you normally run (or bike) around your neighborhood, you can track it on the map and see the exact distance. This has been very useful for Mandy and I because we can time our miles perfectly on long runs.

Okay, that's it for today. Go work on your free throws, Memphis.

Come on little guys!

It’s another rainy day in Indiana, and despite the frost-covered, 30 degree drive to work yesterday morning, it’s starting to look like spring! The little buds have poked their yellow and green heads out of the dirt, and are patiently awaiting a warm sunny day to bloom. If only it would hover around 50, we would know winter is behind us.

Will and I have so many plans for our yard and landscaping this spring/summer, and I’m anxious to get started! Last year, while trying to unravel our hose (something that is surprisingly difficult), we discovered an old flower bed brick edge buried under several inches of gravel in our driveway. For me, this is like finding buried treasure-- remnants of someone else’s time. We are planning to restore the bed this season, and my head is filled with visions of what it must have been years ago. I will also be attempting to plant a vegetable garden this year (stop laughing), and hope to grow our own tomatoes, zucchini, squash and herbs. My grandma Jeannie has been amazingly helpful in this department. She can actually identify each squirrelly plant I have growing in my yard, and help me understand how to care for it—what a rare gift! I hope to have her advice again this year, as I am truly a rookie in this area. Anyone have any tips? I need all the help I can get! We can see traces of areas where these things have grown before in our garden so I think it’s best to try those spots again.

One of my favorite things about living in an old home is trying to imagine what it must have looked and felt liked 50 or 80 years ago. Was the weather warmer this time of year? Were there babies in the house? What did they cook for dinner? No doubt they used our same ancient stove that kicks the temperature up about 15 degrees in the kitchen. Did they plant the huge daylilies that come up each year for us to enjoy? Trip on the same funny floorboards in the dining room? Was the coal shoot unsealed and covered in ash?.... I can't help but wonder.

I love knowing that we get to carry on the legacy of our beautiful home, and each day uphold the traditions that have existed there for decades. The space feels rich in history and in love, and we feel so grateful to be the keepers of the keys. Here’s to a bold new season (right around the corner)!

I actually pull from the right!

Well, I am glad that my sense of fashion has been broken down to it's simplest forms by my personal designer wife, but she failed to get the directions correct. The shirts on the right are next in the rotation, not the left. The shirt is the big factor in determining the outfit. Everything else from there (tie, pants, socks and shoes) have to go with the shirt. I am proud to say that I only own 2 white dress shirts, and the rest have color, pattern or something. You can't get dressed up for work every day without being somewhat excited in what you are going to wear.

It's hump day and I am just getting ready to hit the road again this week. Houston and Dallas get my attention over the weekend and then I am home on Sunday to run 8 miles! If you haven't heard, Mandy and I are running the Country Music Half-Marathon in Nashville, TN. It's on April 26th. Of all of the music genre races I agree to join... Actually, I think it might be more entertaining for me to run in the Broadway Musicals Half-Marathon, if there is such a thing. Oh well, I am not complaining and we will have a great time running to the beat of some twangy band...

Oh, and in case you have been sleeping under a rock today, Tom Crean was named the head basketball coach at Indiana University (my other basketball love besides Butler). I don't know how they did it, but IU found a way to get a good coach to agree to come to a sinking ship. I actually think he can bail water fast enough to get it turned around. And with the way Butler is recruiting and Purdue is playing, the next decade of hoops in this state should be awesome. I'm sure I'll ramble on about that later.

Casual Everydays!

One of the things I love the most about my job and this agency is that we have no dress code. …So everyday feels like casual Friday! On windy, stormy mornings like this, it feels like such a luxury to throw on your favorite sweatshirt, a pair of well worn, perfect fitting blue jeans, and some comfy flats for…gasp…work.

Mornings are only ever tough for me because getting dressed often feels like a chore. I have always been emotionally involved in my clothes. No matter how many times I lay them out the night before, fully accessorized, belts, adorable boots, matching socks and so on, the cute outfit almost always gets overlooked in lieu of my mood that morning.

Then, there’s Will. He’s a pretty spiffy guy, and always looks so put together sitting at the kitchen table with his banana, but Will’s big secret is that he “pulls from the left.” That means whatever shirt is in the rotation on the left is what he wears. Right is for clean clothes, left is for wearing. How easy is that!? Why can’t I be so easy?

I’m grateful knowing that, while I’m perfecting my “pull from the left” system, my job gives me a break, and let’s me wear what I want—whatever or wherever I may find it.

On another rambling note, Gracie had her annual check-up at the vet last night, and did really well—she even gave the tech a “high five.” So stinking cute even the vet almost fell over. Anywhoozer, $400 later, we were being talked into buying a new flea and tick medication that Lilly just released.

“It smells a little funny, but only for a couple minutes and it soaks in really fast,” the vet said. Sounds great! We’ll take it.

When we actually applied the stuff at home, we realized that it probably kills fleas and ticks by gassing them to death. I opened windows, turned on the attic fan, put Grace in her kennel, and went to the basement with Will to avoid the stench of our poor paint-thinner scented pooch. We are obviously awesome parents as she was stuck in a little cage with her own smell, but we couldn’t handle it. Nasty, nasty stuff. When the guilt finally got to me, and I heard a little whimper coming from upstairs, I dug an old IU tee shirt out of a box, and cut it to fit her and cover the gross blob of oil between her shoulder blades. She liked it. Here is a shot from Gracie’s “Casual Monday.”